Water wheel



` June 10, 1924.

L. S. ENGESET WATER WHEEL Filed April 2l 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 101924."

L.. S. ENGESET WATER WHEEL 4 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed April 2l 1923llmlllllllill June 10 1924. 1,497,631

l.. s, ENGESET WATER WHEEL Filed Apri1'2l. 1923 4 Sheets-Shee't 5vente?,

June 10 1924.

L. S. ENGESET WATER WHEEL Filed April 2l 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented.lune 1924i.

UNITED stares Laten rueTENTl OFFICE.

LABS S. ENGESET, OF SEATTLE, WASI-IINGTUN.

WATER WHEEL.

Application filed April 21, 1923. Serial o. G3,814.

To (all fzii/2.0m t may con-cem:

l Be it known that l', Lans llnonsnrr, a citizen ot' the United States,and a resident of Seattlefling ounty, llv'ashington, have inventedcertain new and useful improve" submerged in flowing water, to berevolved and to transmit power through their supporting means for thepurpose ot driving machinery or for doing other work.

It is the object of this invention to provide a water wheel with meansin connection 'therewith whereby the speed otthe wheel underthe liftinginiiuence ot the floats as.

they enter the water.

Other objects of the invention reside in the details ot construction ofthe various parts of the wheel and in the means whereby it is supportedtunctionally in position. In aci complishing these and other objects otthe invention, I have provided the improved details ot construction, thepreferred 'forms of which are illustrated vin the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a water wheel constructed andsupported in accordancepwith the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse, sectional view of the same taken on the line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a` detail view illustrating an alternative type otconstruction. l Figure 4 is a partial view ot still anotherconstruction.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the same.

Referring more lin detail to the several views ot the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals designate the same or like parts., 1 designatesa horizontal base Jframe which may be supported on piles 2 or in anyother suitable manner within a stream ci :tiowingl 4water and 3designates a swinging frame that is pivotally tixed at one end, asdesignatedat el, to the frame 1 and is supported at its other end bymeans of a shai't 5 equipped with a turningwheel 6 at its upper endwhereby itniay be revolved to raise or lowerthat end of the frame B, thepost 5 being threaded at its lower end into a sleeve 7 that is pivotallyfixed onto trame 1.

The fame 2 comprises parallel opposite side beams between which a wheelsupporting shaft 8 extends. This shaft is revolved in bearings 9 fixedto the said side beams and at one end has operative driving connectionwith. a power transmission shaft 1() which may be extended as a drivingmeans for machinery which it is desired to operate by the wheel. The hub12 of the water wheel is keyed to the shatt 8 and has a plurality otradially extending spokes mounted therein at equally spaced apartintervals, each spoke comprising a tubular inner section 14C that istiXed solidly in the hub and an outerpsection 15 that is telescopicallyslidable into and from the rinner section. The outward movement of thespoke sections 15 within their` respective inner sections is limited bymeans of stop plates 16 fastened to their inner ends by bolts 17 andwhich engage with nutsl?, through which the sections slide and which arethreaded into the outer ends of the section lil. The spoke sections 15are normally retained extended b v means of spring arms 2O that arefastened to the inner spoke sections 14 with their outer ends connectedwith pins on the outer spoke sections ot the spokes.

Fixed to the outer end of each spoke section 15 is a tloat 25. hereshown to consist ot hollow metal tanks that are tapered toward theiropposite ends and extended in the plane of the wheel in order that theywill pass through the water with the least resistance. Mounted on theinner section ot each spoke is a propeller 26, each with a supportingshaft 27 mounted rotatively in bearings 28 on the spoke and equippedwith a driving gear 29 that meshes with a rack sur- `tace 3() formed onthe outer movable section ot the spoke; the connection being such thatmovement ot the outer spoke section into or from the inner section willcause rotation ot' the propeller which will tend to drive the wheel iuthe direction oiA the iiow of water.V Assuming that the wheel is soconstructed, it would be used in the following manner :V

A frame 1 would be mounted on a suitable supporting foundation in astream of flowing water and the frame 3 so adjusted that the lower'halfof the water wheel would be below the water surface. The force vof thecurrent against the floats would causeV the wheel to be revolved andthis will bring the floats successively in-to the water. At the time thefioats enter the water their supporting sections 15 are held in extendedposition by means of the spring arms 20 but as they are immersed thelifting effect of the water against them causes them vto move inwardlytoward the Vcenter of the wheel. This movement by means of theconnecting gearing causes the propellers to berrevolved in the water todrive the wheel forwardly, thus increasing the speed ofthe wheel and theamount of power that maybe derived therefrom.

As the floats are raised from the water the spring arms 2O move thesupporting spoke sections 15 to their extended position' and retain themin this position until the floats again enter the water. Power fordriving machinery or for other work may be derived fromV the water wheelby connection with the shaft 8 and while I have illustrated but Vonewheel on the shaft 8, it is readily apparent thatany desired numbercould be connected therewith so that an unlimited amount of power couldbe obtained.

In Figure 3 I have illustrated an alternative construction wherein eachspoke of Athe waterwheel is equipped with two driving propellers. Inthis type of construction, brackets 40 are fixed to the outer ends ofthe spoke sections 14 and extend about the floats to the outer sidesthereof and at these ends are equipped with propellers 41 thatV arealined with the propellers of the inner set. The slidable spoke sections15 are equipped with extensions 42 that project beyond the drums and aregeared, as at 43, to mesh withgears 44 fixed on the supporting shafts 45of the propellers 41. In this construction the o13 erationY is the sameas previously described and the propellers work together to increase thedriving action of the wheel.

In Figures 4 and 5 is illustrated a construction wherein the propellersare geared up to revolve at a high rate of speed. In

this construction the propeller shaft gears 29 are small, andmesh withlarge gears 50 supported on shafts 51 in bearings 52 at the end ofsections 14. Small gears 53 are fixed4 to the shafts 51 in mesh withrack sur- Vfaces 30 of sections 15. With this construction, movement offlats inwardly causes the propellers to be driven at a high speed.

It is readily apparent that such wheels could be made in different sizeswith various numbers of spokes without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and that various means of support could be provided accordingtothe character of the wheel and the stream in which it is used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A water wheel of the class described, comprising a supporting shaft,a wheel fixed on the shaft having a plurality of radially extendingspokes, each with telescopically mounted outer section floats, fixed tothe outer sections of the spokes, propeller wheels fixed to the innerspoke sections and means for revolving the propeller wheels by inwardniovement of the outer spoke sections under the lifting influence of thefloats.

2. A water wheel of the class described, comprising a supporting shaft,a wheel fixed to the shaft having a plurality of radially extendedspokes, each with an outer section movable into and from a fixed innersection, means for yieldingly retaining the outer sections of the spokesextended, propeller wheels mounted on the inner sections of the spokes,floats fixed to the outer ends of the movable spoke sections and meansoperatively connecting the slidable spoke sections with theircorresponding propeller wheels whereby the latter will be revolved todrive the water wheel by the inward movement of these spoke sectionsunder lifting action of their floats.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a base frame, a wheelsupporting frame adjustable vertically on the base frame, a power shaftsu )ported by the swinging` frame, a water wlieel fixed to the powershaft having a plurality of radially extending spokes, each with anouter section telescopically movable into and from a fixed innersection, spring arms fixed to the wheel and engaging bosses on the outersections to retain them normally extended, propeller wheels mounted onthe inner sections of the several spokes, each with a driving shaft anda gear wheel fixed to the shaft, fioats fixed to the outer ends of themovable spoke sections and rack surfaces formed on the movable spokesmeshing with the propeller driving gears, whereby inward movement of themovable spoke sections under lifting influence of their floats willeffect rotation of the propellers for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 13th day of April,1923.

LAHS S. ENGESET.

